"Say hello to Nate," A Day in a Czech School in Havířov

Meeting with Several Classes in Havířov

Several weeks ago, I was invited by a sister in the church to speak at her school in a town about a 30 minute drive from Ostrava in a city known as, Havířov.  Mila is a Czech and English teacher.  She teaches students between the ages of 12-15.  For many if not all of these students, meeting and speaking with an actual American in person is a once in a lifetime experience.  To give them a better picture of American culture and the United States in general, I prepared a PowerPoint presentation going from the United States overall to our own little town of Elverson and the unique cultural experiences you can have there like running into an Amish person at BB's.  I also gave them the ability to ask me any questions that they wanted to know.  The most common was why I was in the Czech Republic.  This gave me an opportunity to talk about the youth group in Ostrava and the church here.  I may at some point make a return to the school as many of the students asked later if I could come again and some of the students that I didn't speak to asked if I could visit their classes as well.  Some of the students even asked Mila for my Facebook name so that they could friend me. What a great experience.  I believe that the Lord can use even these kind of interactions for His Kingdom.

Another Friday Night Spent with the Youth Group

Once again I got the opportunity to prepare a lesson for the youth meeting last Friday night.  We have had about 10 teens each week.  This could seem like a small thing but there has been continued interest in attending each week from the teens.  As happens, there are other things that come up that keep people from being able to attend.  This week I had several people contact me during the week apologizing for not being able to make it because they had to do other things or that they have been sick.  One teen attempted to make it to the meeting but missed his train so was unable to come.  It is great to know that they think enough of me and the others to let me know if they aren't able to make it.  I think that shows a real desire to be there even if they are unable to make it on a certain week.  Patrik, has really been helpful in organizing music on a week to week basis as well as working on creating a website so that other teens can find out about our group and the activities that we have.  This week I spoke on complaining about the way that you look.  Thanks to Matt Carter because I used some of his ideas from a previous lesson with the CEFC Youth Group.  I also sent the group running around Poruba on a scavenger hunt.  We spoke about some social activities that we could do as a group which would be the perfect opportunity to invite some friends.  Pray that the kids would consider inviting friends to this event and others as well as regular weekly meetings.  We are building a community based on love, truth, and fun and we would love to see that community expand.  Here are a few pictures from the evening of people hanging out and talking.

Dominka and Tána sharing a seat.

Kuba and Eliška

Barča, Natka, and Klara getting to know each other a little better. 

I know this brother is gifted at bringing smiles to the faces of others.  The famous and at times infamous, Radim.

Refreshments anyone.

Some other things in the works

Inter-church Youth Activities

We have begun work by setting a date with the youth leaders of other area churches to put together a gathering of the area youth groups. This has the possibility of being something very positive for these teens to allow them to meet and interact with other people their age that believe in Jesus. We are unsure as of yet what the evening will look like but please pray for the planning and coordination of the evening in late November.

English Lessons Kids and Conversation Groups

Several of the church members and myself will be hosting a weekly gathering where parents can bring their children to the church to learn some English through activities, games, and lessons while the parents meet with me and engage in a conversation group. There are several things that need to come together before this can begin in mid October but pray that people would come and that those interactions would not only build relationships but open up doors for the gospel to go forward.